


Happy Birthday

by MASD_1138



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: AirForce!Poe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Birthday Presents, Dad!Poe, Dog BB-8, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Loneliness, Military, engineer!Rey, mainly fluff, mom!rey, showering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-19
Updated: 2018-10-19
Packaged: 2019-08-02 19:54:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16311674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MASD_1138/pseuds/MASD_1138
Summary: A hundred and thirty-four. That’s the number of days that Rey has woken up alone.





	Happy Birthday

**Author's Note:**

> Day five of Damerey Week! Modern AU with loneliness as a theme.  
> *Italics is Rey’s thoughts and bold is an email/text.

Rey opens her eyes and stares at the empty spot beside her. It’s been empty for the last hundred and thirty four days. She used to believe that she would get used to it, used to sleeping without him holding her and to waking up alone. She knew what she was getting into when they started dating and when she agreed to marry him. She wouldn’t ever change her answers, but she still sometime wishes it was different. She misses him more than words can say and she knows he misses her. Her and Shara, their sweet four years old daughter. Shara has been her reason to get up for the past hundred days, her distraction from the scary fact that her husband is currently overseas, flying his F-15 over dangerous lands in the Middle-East. 

It’s not the first tour he’s done since they’ve been together, but it seems to be the hardest of them. While Shara often takes her mind off her anxieties, the little girl has been asking for her papà a lot lately. She asks Rey when he’s coming home, if he’s okay and where he is more often. Rey tries to answer her the best that she can, but she doesn’t even know the answers. Rey puts up the hood of Poe’s hoodie she’s wearing in bed, pretending that it still smells like him. She takes a deep breath and gathers her courage before swinging her feet out of the bed.

Rey gets on with her early morning routine. She feeds Beebee, the corgi Poe had given her before leaving for his first tour when they started dating so she wouldn’t be alone. She starts breakfast for Shara and her, putting the TV on in the background. When it’s seven thirty she goes to her daughter’s room to wake her up so they can eat together. Rey sits on the edge of the bed, running her hand through the little girl’s hair. Shara’s hair is dark and curly just like Poe’s. She leans in and kisses her daughter on her brow bone. The little girl stirs, clutching her teddy bear closer to her chest.

“It’s time to wake up baby,” Rey whispers, rubbing Shara’s back. “I made you some waffles,” she adds. The toddler’s eyes snap open, making Rey chuckle. Shara’s love for food definitely comes from her mother. 

Rey helps her get dressed and then they eat their breakfast together while watching cartoons. Rey cleans up and gets their bags ready while Shara plays in the yard with Bee. 

Soon enough, Shara is at day care and Rey gets to work. She’s an engineer at her uncle’s company, a job that she enjoys very much. She works on her designs until lunch time, almost forgetting to go eat, but her friend Rose knocks at the door of her office.

“Hey, we’re going to eat at the bistro. You wanna come?” 

Rey looks down at her blueprints one last time before looking up. “Sure, let me grab my things,” she answers.

The two woman walk down the street to the restaurant where a couple other colleagues are waiting. Rey sits down at the table, looking at the menu to choose what she wants to eat.

“So what are you doing for your birthday tomorrow?” Kaydel, their PR manager, asks. Rey looks up from her menu and frowns. _Wait, what date is it again?_ She looks at her phone to see the date. Lately, days are counted by how many days Poe has been away, not by the actual date. _Yep, it’s my birthday tomorrow._

“Don’t tell me you have nothing planned,” Rose says, also putting her menu down.

“I sorta forgot about my birthday,” Rey says hesitantly. “I don’t know, with Poe overseas I don’t feel like celebrating much. At least he’s supposed to be back for Shara’s birthday. I’ll call my parents and Poe’s dad over I guess. My mom will probably show up anyway.” Rey shrugs. She’s sure Poe will make it up to her when he comes back, like the time they celebrated Christmas in April since he was deployed during the holidays. 

“Well if you want to do anything this weekend, just call us and we’ll have a girls night.” Kaydel smiles at Rey.

“Thank you,” Rey answers, also smiling. 

Her phone vibrates on the table and she looks at it, eyes widening when she sees it’s from Poe.

**Hey, Sunshine. Do you have time for a Skype call tonight? I got the permission from my CO. Is 1800 your time good for you? Love you xxx**

Rey smiles and immediately sends back that she’ll be waiting for his call, also telling him that she loves him. That message is what gets her through her day with a smile.  
***  
Rey is sitting at the kitchen table with her laptop open on Skype while Shara is playing in the living room with Beebee. As soon as the call comes in, she answers, staring at the black screen with the words “connecting caller”.

Then, the face of her sweet husband pops up on the screen. He’s changed since the last time they video chatted a month ago. His hair is longer and he has a decent amount of beard. He’s in his full flight uniform, making Rey slightly anxious. Still, she puts on her bravest smile for him.

“Hi beautiful,” Poe’s voice comes out of the speakers, a bit delayed from the video. 

“Hi love,” she says, tears welling up in her eyes. His voice is still as she remembers it. 

“How are my favourite girls doing?”

“We’re doing good. Shara’s playing with Bee in the living room. We miss you.” Rey tucks a piece of hair that has fallen out of her bun behind her ear. 

“Shara’s doing okay?”

“She asks for you a lot. We were at the park the other day and a plane flew over us. She asked me if you were the one flying it.” Rey swallows the lump in her throat. She won’t cry in front of him, she knows how hard it is for him to be away from them. “Do you want to speak to her?” She still asks, even if he usually says yes, since he’s sometime too emotional and he doesn’t want to cry in front of his daughter.

Poe nods, carding his hand in his hair. “Yeah I’d love to see her.”

“Shara, baby, papà is on the computer. Come talk to him,” Rey calls in direction of the living room.

Poe hears his daughter scream a loud “papà” and watches as Rey bends down to pick her up. The little girl settles in her mother’s lap. 

“Hi!” Shara waves at the camera and Poe waves back with a smile.

“Papà loves you a lot mija. Te amo mucho,” Poe tells her.

“Te amo también,” the little girl says in her best Spanish. “Are you flying your plane?”

“Not right now baby, but later I will,” he looks up at Rey, since she understands what those words mean. 

“Okay!” And with that Shara jumps off her mother’s lap to go back to playing with Bee.

“You’re going out later?” Rey asks, trying to mask her worries.

“Yeah, standard flight. It’ll be fine.”

“I like the beard,” Rey says, changing the subject so neither of them cry. “It really suits you,”

“I’ll keep it for you then.” Poe really smiles. “Happy early birthday Sunshine,” he says, his eyes telling her how sorry he is that he can’t be there.

“Thank you flyboy.”

“What do you have planned?”

“It’ll be just my parents, your dad, Shara and me. We’re having supper at our place. Luke might swing by.” Rey drums her finger on the table. “Maybe I’ll go to the movies with Rose and Kay this weekend.”

Poe goes to speak, but he’s cut off.

“Dameron get your ass in that plane! Take off in ten!” What Rey assumes to be Poe’s CO yells. Poe looks off camera before turning his attention back on Rey.

“I have to go, I love you so much.”

“I love you too. Be careful out there Flyboy.”

“Yes ma’am.” 

Then Rey is left staring at a black screen, worried about her heroic pilot.  
***  
Rey is stirring the meatball sauce when Kes knocks at the door. As soon as the older man steps inside, Shara jumps at his feet, wanted to be picked up. Leia and Han, her parents arrive a couple of minutes later with Luke. 

“Happy birthday kid,” Han says, kissing the side of Rey’s head.

“Thanks dad.” Rey hugs her father back.

“Do you need help with anything?” Leia asks, also hugging her. 

“Could you set the table?” Rey answers, turning back to the oven to stir the sauce.

“Of course.”

“Thanks mom.”

After Leia sets the table, she comes back to the kitchen and leans against the counter next to her daughter.

“How are you doing?” Leia knows how hard it can be when your husband is on tour. Han was also in the military.

Rey stops what she’s doing and sighs. “I’m good mom, I just miss him, Shara misses him and I’m pretty sure Bee also misses him. I spoke to him yesterday, but our conversation was cut short. He was already geared up when he called. I’m sure he’s fine, he said it was a standard flight.” 

“You’ll call us if you need anything, Okay?”

“I know mom, I know,”

Rey finishes up the spaghetti, making a small bowl of cut up pasta and meatballs for Shara and sits down at the table with the others. The meal is enjoyable and they make small talk. Luke and Rey talk about the projects they’re working on and Han talks about how business is going for him. 

“Have you talked to him recently?” Kes asks, a bit hesitant.

“Last night. He’s fine, but you should see his beard,” Rey jokes, trying to alleviate the discussion.

“It’s that bad?” Kes laughs.

“No, it really suits him actually.”

They finish up the food and Han does the dishes with Kes while the girls talk in the living room. Then, it’s time for the gifts. While Rey is opening Luke’s gifts, there’s a knock at the front door.

“Are you expecting anybody else?” Leia asks.

“No, it’s probably flowers,” Rey answers. Poe always sends them flowers when he’s away and there is an occasion. “I’ll go answer.”

When Rey opens the door, it is in fact flowers. Except that the person holding the flowers is her husband.

“Happy birthday Sunshine,” Poe, says holding out the sunflowers to her. 

Rey just stares at him, her hand still on the handle of the door. Poe makes a step forward and drops his bag on the porch. 

“Rey, who is it?” Han calls from the living room, out of sight from the door. Her father’s voice makes her realize what is going on and she just starts sobbing. 

Poe surges forward, dropping the flowers so he can wrap his arms around his wife. One of his hand cradles the back of her head, her face buried in the crook of his neck, while the other one his holding her hip tightly. Rey’s hands clutch at his shirt, holding him as close as possible. He can feel her tears on his neck just as he feels his own on his face.

“God I love you,” he chokes out and presses a hard kiss against her forehead. When he looks up, his dad is in the hallway looking surprised. He smiles at his father before kissing his wife again. “Where is Shara?” He mouths to his dad over Rey’s shoulder. Kes quickly goes back to the living room and comes back with the little girl on his hip. 

As soon as the toddler sees her father, she wiggles out of Kes’s arms and runs towards him. Poe keeps one arm around Rey’s waist and uses the other one to pick up Shara. Rey is still crying against his chest, but she still turns slightly so their daughter also has place to hug her dad. 

By the time Rey has calmed down a bit, pretty much every one is in the hallway, looking at them, but neither of them pays to much attention. She tilts her head up and kisses Poe on his lips. “You’re really home,” she whispers against his lips. “I thought you were leaving for a mission yesterday.”

“I was getting on the plane to get back home,” Poe says before kissing Shara on the cheek. “Let’s close the door before Bee runs away.” He puts his daughter back on the floor and grabs the strap to his bag. “Mija, can you get the flowers?” Poe points to the bouquet of sunflowers that’s on the ground. 

“Yes papà.”

“Go give them to abuela so she can put them in water.” 

Shara grabs the flowers and waddles back to Leia, the older woman taking her granddaughter in her arms and into the kitchen to find a vase.

“When did you learn that you were coming back early?” Kes asks walking closer to his son. 

“In the beginning of the week, my squadron was cleared for an early return since we took so many missions for this tour. I decided to surprise my wife for her birthday.” He kisses the side of Rey head and she looks up and smiles contentedly.

Poe let’s go of Rey to hug his dad, but immediately goes back to her side. They move the reunion to the living room and Poe plops down on the couch. Rey goes to sit down beside him, but Poe tugs her by the waist so she falls on his lap. He’s been unable to touch her for the past hundred and thirty five days so he has a lot of time to make up for. Rey turns so her legs are hooked over his thighs and wraps her arms around his neck to pull him in for another kiss. They are practically making out like teenagers on their couch, not even caring that both their dads are sitting on the other couch.

“I’m really happy that you’re back kid, but can you both keep the making out to after we’ve left,” Han coughs and takes a sip of his whiskey. 

“Han, honey, we both know you never kept your hands off of me for days when you came back from tours,” Leia teases, coming back with the flower vase, Shara in tow. The little girl climbs onto the couch where both her parents are and nestles against her father’s side. The toddler giggles when she hears her father’s stomach grumble.

“Daddy is hungry,” she laughs, poking his side with her tiny fingers. 

“We have some left over pasta, do you want some?” Rey asks, already getting up.

“That would be really nice,” Poe answers as he pulls Shara onto his lap. Rey quickly leaves to go get him the food. He kisses the side of his daughter’s head, enjoying the feel of her soft hair on his cheek.

“Were you a good girl while I was gone?” Poe asks her even if he knows that Shara has always been a good child.

“Yes, I missed you. I brought mommy to the park like you asked. Mommy missed you a lot.” Shara snuggles up to him, gripping his shirt to keep him close. 

“I missed you and mommy too. Thank you for taking care of her. I knew I could trust you,” Poe thanks his daughter, smiling at the parents that heard the conversation over her head. 

Rey comes back into the living room with the food and a glass of water. Poe eats it slowly since he only has one hand as the other arm is still wrapped around Shara. The parents stay for about another hour before leaving, letting Poe and Rey get back into their night time routine.

“Papà, can you read me a bedtime story?”

“One story and then papà needs to go to bed,” Rey says, helping Shara put on her pyjama.

“Why don’t you go take your shower while I tuck her in?”

“Sure, do you want me to unpack your bag?”

“I’ll do that tomorrow,” Poe smiles, tucking Shara under the covers. “It can wait.”

***  
Rey is washing her hair when she hears the door to the bathroom open. The glass door is fogged up, but she can see Poe’s silhouette as he undresses himself. He opens the door and steps inside the steamed shower. 

“Is she asleep?”

“Yes.” Poe hands take over hers in her hair, massaging her scalp and shampooing it. “I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too.” Rey turns around to look at him. His curls are plastered to his forehead by the water and he has water dripping from his beard. His eyes are slightly closed and he has dark circles under them, reminding her how tired he must be. She looks down at his body, frowning when she sees a blueish bruise on his right side just over his ribs. “What happened?” She asks, tracing the edge of it with her index. He doesn’t even flinch under her touch and takes her hand so he can press a kiss to her palm.

“Nothing bad, I fell during drills earlier this week. It doesn’t even hurt. I got it checked out and the doc said nothing was wrong.” He yawns and grabs a random soap bottle, probably one of Rey’s shampoos since he hasn’t been in this shower for four months, intending to wash himself. Rey still doesn’t diverts her gaze from the bruise. “I’m fine, I’m home, it’s just a bruise.” Poe brushes some of the wet hair from Rey’s face and offers her small smile. She smiles back and it’s not one of her most genuine smile, but he’ll take it anyway.

“You’re tired, let me wash it for you,” Rey says, taking the bottle from his hand. She lathers up his hair with the soap, brushing her fingers in his curls to untangle them. Next, she moves on to his beard. He’s always had at least a four o’clock shadow, but this fuller style really suits him, especially with the longer hair. She spends more time than necessary on it, making Poe chuckle.

“You really like the beard, don’t you?” 

“It makes you look really handsome. More than usual and that’s saying something,” Rey also laughs. “My handsome husband,” Rey sighs.

“My beautiful wife,” Poe whispers back.

They rinse each other off and step out of the shower to dry themselves. Poe only puts on a pair of boxer’s and slips under the covers of their already un-made bed. His foot gets caught on something so he reaches in the blankets to grab it. He smiles when he sees that it’s one of his old hoodies. 

“I’m guessing you’ll need me to wear this a couple of times?” Poe smirks, handing the hoodie to Rey when she turns around to look at him.

“I’d like that, but it’s mine for tonight,” Rey shrugs it on and gets in the bed beside him. She lays her head on his chest, just over his heart and sighs happily. “Goodnight, I love you.”

“I love you too Sunshine.”

Poe falls asleep almost immediately, tired from the travelling and the time-zone change, but Rey stays awake for much longer, listening to the beating of his heart. When she does fall asleep, she knows that when she wakes up, the other side of the bed won’t be empty.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this! I love to hear what you think so I can get better at writing so leave a comment if you feel like it.


End file.
